“Laka Perspectives” Book

About The Book

Laka Perspectives is a pocket-sized source of inspiration that outlines different views on the role of architecture, the connections between spatial interventions and their social outcomes, and the pathways that connect needs and solutions in a variety of technological and social disciplines.

Furthermore, the book is about the people who have decided to take action for the future through architecture, technology, and innovation.

German Design Award ’18 – Special Mention

The German Design Award directly contributes to the overall commercial success. Prizes will only be awarded to projects that truly represent pioneering contributions to the German and international design landscape. The highly esteemed, international jury guarantees this. The German Design Award identifies and presents unique design trends: a competition that advances the design-oriented scene.

Selected quotes

“Of course, we could think of architecture as a display, an extension of our smart gadgets, or another means of interaction of representation. Then, walls or windows could become haptic interfaces allowing us to communicate with the building, the environment, or others. Architecture could also become smart itself, responsive to human behaviors or anticipating habits, by integrating various sensors or actuators, e.g., for opening windows, turning off lights, or maybe even transforming and rearranging spaces.” (Manuel Kretzer)

“Urbaneering is a discipline that combines architecture, urbanism, ecology, media arts, and community building. It strives to reinvent the multifarious elements that comprise a city. Its practitioners are not planners, urban designers, or architects, but urbaneers. And their task will be to facilitate the globe’s next metropolises. Urbaneering undertakes a diverse range of projects as a prescription for maximal design.” (Maria Aiolova)

“We have many layers of technology right now that are evolving at a very fast pace. So to be honest, it’s very hard to predict the future of computation. In one way, in a very positive sense, I would say, yes, this is the future—this is how it’s going to be in the near future. At the same time, I would like to say it is not the future, because it’s just a tool—it’s not something that defines how or what you design, it is merely a tool that helps you go from step A to step B. By the time we learn and understand this process, there will be much more advanced tools for designers to use.” (Sushant Verma)

“Earlier, I used to believe in the wisdom of the solutions that have developed over centuries. However, we possess completely new technical means and quite new needs and expectations. When it comes to comfort, we always need to look for the most appropriate solutions to the present conditions. The most important value is to turn our brains on and look for solutions on our own.” (Peter Kuczia)

“The city icon must be sustainable, whether a hotel or a whole city. The local context should have a strong influence on idea development. However, there are families of ideas and solutions that can be applied to different situations. Sustainability has to be looked at beyond the question of energy consumption. Iconic buildings need to have the power to trigger people’s imagination, to become part of their desire to identify themselves with a place.” (Tobias Wallisser)